Exiting Through the Met’s Gift Shop Just Got That Much Cooler

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Olivia Kim

Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Cirque Machina Nail Lacquer in Moon Dust

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Marques ‘ Almeida feather wallet

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Maison Martin Margiela Tabi bookmark

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The future of retail? That’s anyone’s guess, but visitors to the Costume Institute’s “Manus x Machina” can expect a forward-facing shopping experience if ever there was one, thanks in large part to Olivia Kim, Nordstrom VP of creative projects, Opening Ceremony alum, and all-around cool girl who’s lent her eye to curating a special edit of products featured in the exhibition’s shop. It was Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour who played matchmaker between Kim and the museum’s retail team—a winning pairing, marked by the same eclectic sensibilities Kim has brought to her role at Nordstrom.

“Museums are so precious, and they’re these incredible places as inspiration,” Kim tells Vogue.com, before adding the thought that no doubt springs to so many of our minds: “And when I think about museum shops, they’re always my favorite thing. Whenever I go into any museum, I always want to go into the gift shop first! And then I’m like, ‘No, that has to be the dessert at the end.’ I wasn’t really thinking about it intellectually, I was just like, ‘What are some fun things I would want to see in a museum shop?’ ”

To name a few of the highly collectible pieces in Kim’s edit: a bookmark after Margiela’s iconic, cloven Tabi boot (a bootmark?); sharply geometric Junko Koshino handbags; and Simone Rocha handbags. Kim also tapped cult Brooklyn nail lacquer brand Cirque Colors to create two sets of shades (“Manus” and “Machina,” natch) inspired by garments featured in the show. The finished products bring new meaning to the idea of having fashion at your fingertips, ranging from a holographic glitter topcoat that takes its cue from Christian Dior’s legendary 1949 Junon gown to a pearlescent white inspired by the show-closing fish-scale shift worn by Josephine Skriver on Prada’s Fall 2011 runway. That high-low ethos is echoed in a shirt and wallet by Marques ‘ Almeida on offer, an ascendant London label of which Kim was an early champion; the wearable top and wallet both come decked out in quintessentially “couture” ostrich plumasserie (featherwork). “I love that idea that potentially technology can make things less precious and more attainable, accessible, approachable,” says Kim. “It doesn’t always have to be saved for these delicate things.”